Suchergebnisse

This item is part of the Political & Rights Issues & Social Movements (PRISM) digital collection, a collaborative initiative between Florida Atlantic University and University of Central Florida in the Publication of Archival, Library & Museum Materials (PALMM).

Post-war experience has revealed that the effect of automation (AUTO) on industrial relations depends largely on the econ background against which it takes place. AUTO introduced during a period of econ expansion may have no ill effects on employment & there is less inducement for these firms to lower their prices; however, during a period of recession AUTO may add to unemployment; further, more unemployment is likely to arise in firms which have been retarded in the AUTO race. Because of the high rate of obsolescence of the associated equipment, AUTO tends on balance to create employment. Other effects of AUTO include: (1) a reduction in the proportion of workers who take a direct part in production, (2) an increase in the proportion of service workers, (3) a stimulation of wage demands resulting from increased productivity & profit margins, & (4) an improvement in working conditions. AUTO may sometimes produce unemployment through special situations, e.g. by causing bottlenecks. Such pockets of unemployment demand changes in labor allocation & this is sometimes accomplished through the wage-spiral. Though it is necessary to dismiss workers made redundant through AUTO, it should be done with the least possible friction & hardship to those affected. The differential allocation of the benefits of AUTO to labor, capital & the consumer is one of the most controversial & complex aspects of the process. AUTO tends to accentuate conflicts, particularly over wages, between skilled & unskilled workers, but almost invariably AUTO results in improved working conditions. B. J. Keeley.